(The Center Square) – Gov. Tony Evers made an unprecedented move by changing characters on a bill to make a $325 per student annual school funding levy increase each year until 2425.
Now, Republican lawmakers are pushing for him to take it back.
First, it’s the Wisconsin Assembly’s turn.
The Senate approved a bill that would limit that increase to one school year, as lawmakers intended with an 18-15 vote before Senate Bill 389 heads to the Assembly and will ultimately require Evers’ approval to become law.
“The governor stepped in and did something he’s never done before,” said Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, the bill’s sponsor. “He changed the bill in a way that no governor in the history of the state of Wisconsin has changed and that’s very concerning for us because the legislature is where the voice of the people is supposed to take place.
“He went far beyond what’s ever been done before.”
Republicans call it Evers’ 400-year property tax increase because it allows schools to raise the levy on a $325-per-child basis annually for the next 400 years.
Evers used his partial veto power to erase numbers and a hyphen to change “2024-25” to “2425” in a budget bill, a maneuver approved by the Wisconsin Supreme Court as legal in a 4-3 ruling.
“We want to clarify the original intent of the Legislature in the budget was to increase school funding for the next budget period,” Kapenga said. “We allow other Legislatures moving forward to decide what the best funding is after that.”
Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, argued that prior levy freezes have led schools to underfund local education by $3,573 per student compared to inflation.
“That means (classrooms) are overly crowded, that means teachers are inadequately compensated, that means it’s harder to attract and retain high quality teachers because they’re getting pulled in different directions and it means we’re failing our constitutional obligation to make sure every child has a quality education,” Larson said.
The League of Women Voters and Wisconsin Education Association Council lobbied against the bill while Americans For Prosperity, IRG Action Fund, MacIver Impact, National Federation of Independent Business, Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, Wisconsin Manufacturers Association, Wisconsin Property Taxpayer and Wisconsin Realtors lobbied for the bill.
“We applaud Senate Republicans for standing up for prosperity and fiscal responsibility, while Senate Democrats chose to defend a lame-duck governor instead of defending the pocketbooks of their constituents,” said AFP-WI Legislative Director Jerry Ponio. “Governor Evers’ veto was an abuse of power that put politics ahead of people. Wisconsinites deserve leaders who protect their financial future — not saddle them with 400 years of tax hikes.”
